Cloud may be the heart of many companies’ infrastructure but it would be nothing without the veins of connectivity that keep the data flowing. The UK Cloud Snapshot Survey 2017 asked what cloud connection companies use to access their cloud solutions.

VPNs are quick and simple to deploy and can encompass remote sites and users as well as the main corporate location connecting through encrypted tunnels to the cloud infrastructure, or connecting two separate cloud platforms.

32%

use the public internet

This is mainly being used for cloud based applications such as Salesforce CRM rather than accessing corporate infrastructures. The use of the public internet could also be the cause for some of the reported concerns regarding latency and the security of the cloud.

28%

use a direct cloud connection

A direct cloud connection, such as Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute or AWS Direct Connect, provide a more secure solution to cloud access and can deliver lower latency. Often direct connections are perceived as more complex to set up and less flexible than VPNs, however, this is no longer the case as they can also offer elastic connections with higher bandwidth for a lower cost. Direct cloud connection use will grow as more companies understand the technical, operational and cost benefits.

Elastic Cloud Connection

Next-generation technologies such as Machine Learning (ML), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and High Performance Computing (HPC), are revolutionising the capabilities between enterprises and their customers, and improving the way organisations predict resources. Organisations can now access and accelerate the transfer of business-critical data between private infrastructure and the cloud. Our partnership with Megaport empowers our customers with the ability to provision multiple direct connections across Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific. All from a single Port.

Designed for data and secure to the core, it’s transforming efficiency across a number of industries, including healthcare, retail, finance and insurance. With direct, reliable connectivity to cloud-native services such as AI, analytics, blockchain, IoT and more, enterprises can better manage the tidal wave of data with high performance and security.

Hybrid-cloud is flexible, and increasingly crucial, as according to a recent IBM survey 85% of business leaders believe hybrid-cloud accelerates digital transformation. Benefits include the ability to store mission-critical workloads securely, within arm’s reach, whilst having the ability to innovate within a public cloud environment. For example, if an organisation operated from corporate data centres in London and required their AI application to provide real-time suggestions to users in North America, servers and physical telecommunication circuits would be required in, let’s say New York, to minimise latency.

However, this same organisation can now provision a high-availability Virtual XConnect (VXC) at up to 10Gbps whilst simultaneously establishing new server workloads in the appropriate zone. Quickly and simply achieve a low-latency, on-demand cloud connection required for native access to the cloud provider of your choice. Megaport continues to expand globally in order to address demand and make new, cloud-native technologies increasingly accessible on their network with minimal latency. They also continue to increase accessibility by expanding into data centres beyond typical on-ramp locations, recently reaching 175+ locations globally, with 5 in London and 1 in Dublin. Enabled cloud providers include Microsoft, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google, Oracle and Salesforce.

With over 20 years of experience, Serviceteam IT design and deliver sophisticated connectivity, communication, continuity, and cloud services, for organisations that need to stay connected 24/7. We take the time to fully understand your current challenges, and provide a solution that gives you a clear understanding of what you are purchasing and the benefits it will bring you.

To find out how we can help you, call us on 0121 468 0101, use the Contact Us form, or why not drop in and visit us at 49 Frederick Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 1HN.